Hello all!
This update is very overdue, but we appreciate your patience as we have gone to America, and now have been settling back in and getting into full swing here in Australia.
Last we wrote, we were about a month out from heading back to America to finally visit family and friends after 4 years! It was such an amazing time and 8 weeks flew by as you might expect. We still felt the ache of not having enough time with so many of you as we would have wanted. We are still incredibly grateful for each moment that we did get.
Being back in Wisconsin was a beautiful time of reconnection with family and friends, and
our home church, Elmbrook, as well. There was lots of laughter and gratitude for the time,
mixed with tears and heartache knowing it wouldn’t last. We got to meet a new nephew
and niece and see how much the others had grown. Being able to create connection and
memories with them before heading back was a highlight for us, and now we are praying
God keeps those in their minds and hearts in the years to come.
Similarly, another joy of being home was the sweet timing of our pregnancy. We left
Australia right at the end of Karis’ first trimester and were able to share some of our
pregnancy journey, scans, gender reveal, and even a baby shower with family back home!
God sure knows the perfect timing.
As we left to go back the Sunshine Coast, one part of our hearts pulled us to stay with
friends and family, to do life alongside those we love so dearly. The other part, however, was
burning to return to where God is calling us for now. Even in the weeks since being back we
are humbled by the fact that our wills struggle to perfectly align with His, even as we follow
Him. Needless to say, it’s been a growing and stretching process as we learn to be content
and full of trust in each season.
We arrived here on the Coast on July 20th , and spent 1 week settling in before we got ‘back
at it’. A few days after arriving back to our Australia home, Samuel fractured his ankle while
playing volleyball. This is his third time fracturing this ankle in our 4 years in Australia
unfortunately. This made for a bit of a rough transition as he was unable to walk without
crutches. Unsurprisingly, we quickly received so much support and help from our
community here. It was beautiful timing in some ways. As our hearts were achy having left
family, God quickly reminded us that He has given us family here as well. People helped
walk Indie so Karis didn’t have to do it every day when she wasn’t feeling well, even made
meals and offered to help clean the house so Karis didn’t have to do it all. All for a fractured
ankle! It was a beautiful reminder as we both were feeling a bit of the ‘ahhh how are we
going to do this’ as we thought about having a baby with no family around to help and
support us. We are so grateful for God’s provision in so many ways.
Only a couple weeks after we got back, we also got a visit from Sam’s brother Anthony! He
was in the Sunshine Coast for 3 weeks total and traveling around Australia for another 2. It
was such a huge joy to have Anthony in Australia again—he slotted in well to our lifestyle
and Indie’s as well! We got to do lots of those Sunny Coast things that you only do when
you have visitors! Anthony and Indie became fast friends and Anth got to see a bit of our
life here as well. He got some well needed time off after graduating from UW Madison and before starting a new job.
As mentioned above, we quickly began doing preparation and training with our school
leaders as we prepared for the first international school in 2.5 years to arrive in September!
We led 2 weeks of staff training the last two weeks of August and had a blast having full and
busy days preparing our hearts, minds, and spaces for the students to come. We currently
have 29 international students on this DTS, and 9 DTS staff including us. The students and
staff are from, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Germany,
Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands, Norway, and England.
The school has now been going for three weeks (normally the most ‘full on’ part of a
school), and it has been AMAZING! Students have come motivated, expectant, and hungry
for God. In the short 3 weeks we have already been humbled and in awe of the ways God works in each persons life.
The staff are doing an amazing job pouring into the students, creating discipleship
opportunities in the everyday moments, and starting to plan for outreach as well (we will
talk more about where the teams are going in our next update).
We personally are feeling more settled in this season in discipling, caring for, and training the DTS staff.
They are all soft hearted, teachable, and truly a joy to work with. We feel God’s grace over
this season as we feel the most ‘balanced’ in our schedules, and where, who, and what to
prioritize.
The base is the fullest it's been in 2.5 years, which is so fun to see and experience. There is excitement all around as people feel a new readiness and energy for large schools and more people coming through. The DTS started beginning of September, and the SBS (the 9 month secondary level school we offer here) started 2 weeks after with 25 students.
The wavehouse is currently housing 60 people (students and some staff).
It also has been encouraging as we see that as a base we are standing strong in the things God has refined us in. We are quick to remind ourselves of the lessons we learned and the things God stripped away, as individuals, in ministry departments, and as a base as a whole. We do not want to go back to the things God refined out, but walk forward into this season of growth with strong roots and eyes focused on His every move and ears tuned to His every word.
Karis had her first week back leading Kings kids this past week, and it was a blast. She has 4 DTS students and 2 SBS students helping her, as well as 2 other staff. There are 21 kids ages 4 - 12, so to say it can get chaotic is an understatement. But even from just this first day back, there has been testimony of the Kids experiencing God speak to them and desiring to become closer friends with him. Karis is really enjoying having students along side her to help.
Sam has had a few times back at RI (religious instruction) as well, where he goes to a 6th grade class every week in a public school and is allowed to share about God with them! They are currently on school holidays (year round school here in Australia), but the few times he has been have been really good.
Looking forward, we will be teaching in November on the last week of the DTS before they
go on outreach, and our baby girl is due December 2nd . We are soaking up this season of it
just being us, while also becoming very excited and feeling more and more ready for her to
join our family here on the outside (:
We would appreciate prayer these next 2 months for the DTS students to continue to run
with burning hearts after Jesus, as they get ready to be ‘sent out’.
Prayer for us to support and help our staff, specifically those who are leading overseas
outreaches.
And prayers as we prepare for baby girl to join! Karis has had a very good pregnancy, but now that she is 30 weeks has begun having more discomfort and pains and needed to listen to her body and slow down a bit. Prayer for a safe and smooth last 10-11 weeks of pregnancy
would be appreciated!
We are so grateful for you all, please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, prayer requests, or really anything at all!
We loved the opportunity to connect again with many of you while back in Milwaukee, and so wish we could have done the same with all of you all around the world!
With love,
Samuel and Karis
*The following is a poem Karis wrote a few days after leaving home in America and coming
back home to Australia. We wanted to share it as we felt it was an expression of what our
hearts ache to communicate.
CALLED ELSEWHERE
Home, a word that means so many different things,
It once was simple, but the YES of my spirit changed that for me.
Home is now where you say,
It changes, and shifts, and grows.
Home is where you lead.
My heart jumps for joy at the sounds of Your voice,
But at times it cries out for the home is must leave.
It doesn’t take much for it’s focus to shift,
To what it misses, and the ache that it brings.
It cries out,
“But what about them? Those I leave behind, will they know the depth of my love for them?
And you whisper, “Trust me”
“But God, my nieces and nephews, they’re too young to understand!”
And you whisper, “trust me”
“But God, what if our parents misunderstand and think we want to be away from them?”
And you whisper, “trust me”
“What if years pass and people don’t remember me?”
And you whisper “Trust me”
“But my sisters and my brothers, what if they need me, how can I leave them?”
And you whisper, “trust me”
Oh God, my flesh and spirit fight,
My flesh tempts me to say yes to this life instead.
But oh how quickly You come to my rescue, saying “follow me”
You open my eyes to every joy my yes has brought.
And to think and dwell on You alone satisfies every aching thought.
And my heart soon cries,
God, help them see, You are worth Everything.
God, would they know your love is everlasting.
God, my answer is yes, no turning back, You can have everything.
And you whisper,
“Called elsewhere you may be,
But your true home is following me.”
Photos
1-9: seeing family, and extended family while back in Wisconsin!
10 - 11: An event sharing a bit about what we do and whats to come we were able to host at Elmbrook Church, which many of you attended. This is also the night our newest niece was born!
12 - 20: More photos from home with family!
21-22: Having a pizza night in wavehouse backyard for the new DTS school!
23 - 24: Back to having a full room for base worship!
25: Karis teaching the DTS on their orientation week
26 - 28: Bump update photos
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